Marmish

I was having trouble registering. I think my problem was my home email is first initial dot last name, and my work is first initial last name (no dot) and I screwed it up when I registered. Tried it again today and got in. I think I have a new place to hang out! Wow. Lots of stuff. Some very cool cakes including two that are very similar to what I am trying to do. I have NO patience for piping all that grass on the one! I mixed up some buttercream and am trying to finish this up tonight. I have the golf ball lumpily shaped and the base cake put together.

I'll definitely take pics when I'm done. Thanks for all the suggestions, esp. re: the clubs. I think I will try them with pretzels and with spaghetti/fondant and see which ones I like. Can I speed up the fondant drying? It is really humid here this week. 92 today with thunderstorms. Yikes. Low oven? Hair dryer? I'm thinking it would be likely to crack. I have straws, so I will use those to support the ball. JSkilling, thanks for the pic of your cake. Very cool. Trying to look at the other link, but they won't let me in! Still trying though.

I would suggest putting the half ball cake on a cake circle, covering it with fondant, and bringing the fondant under the board for a nice neat edge. You could also finish it off with the grass tip #233 - as a border. I'm not sure if you know this, but it's important that your cake circle be cut to the same size as your cake, best to do after it's baked since it will shrink a bit. I would also suggest a few dowels (4 - 6) under the half ball to support it, although it's not absolutely necessary for the 1/2 ball (it's not THAT heavy). As a general rule, fondant should be rolled to about 1/8 inch thick. You might want to consider using a different brand if it's available to you (Wilton isn't the best tasting, there are others that are much better). For the dimples, you can use the end of a small decorators paintbrush - but you'll need to do it right after you put the fondant on your cake. If it starts to harden, the dimples won't take. For the golf clubs, do you have a clay gun ? You can form the clubs with fondant rather than use the pretzel sticks, although the pretzel sticks will be cute too. hope some of this helps - Diane ← Diane, THANK YOU! It all helps! By "never done anything like this before," I meant they're lucky to get a frosted cake, so I really appreciate help with the details. Not sure what a clay gun is? I think I will try to make the clubs out of the fondant by hand first.

We are having a 1st Annual Golf Scramble on Friday. Afterwards, we are going back to someone's house for food - fried chicken etc. etc. I want to make a golf cake. This is what I would like to do. I'm just not sure how to do it. I want to make a 9" round two layer cake. On top of that, I want to put a half sphere that looks like a golf ball - smaller than 9" diameter, maybe 5-6". Around the sides, I want to put "golf clubs" in an X pattern. I am using a cake mix. I have white chocolate, chocolate, mini pretzel rods, a box of premade fondant (Wilton?), lots of butter, shortening and powdered sugar, food coloring, corn syrup, and the usual suspects like eggs, milk etc. I have learned so much by lurking around here that I think I've got it pretty together, but I have never done anything like this before. So.... Questions: Will I need supports so the golf ball doesn't squish the whole thing? I am assuming that the golf ball should be covered in the fondant. Then I can use something (what?) to make the dimples. How thick should the fondant be? How do I make the edge of fondant look neat where it meets the cake? I intend to frost the main part of the cake green. Too much fondant is icky. I thought I could use the pretzels to make the golf clubs. Cover in chocolate? fondant? Thanks for any suggestions and advice you can offer.

Thanks! Isn't Rezipezaar a ton of fun? ;) That cake definitely looks moist. I'm going to try it next time I need a cake for an orange lover. As for sticking, I've mentioned it so many times you'd think I got paid by Pam, but the Pam for Baking (the flour added kind) is awesome. ← It can be fun, although it seems like looking for a needle in a haystack sometimes. I have gotten some really good recipes there though, so I can't complain. Fifi, looks good! My frosting looked close to yours once it set up. I still think mine was too thin, though, or maybe still too hot. Next time. There's always next time.

So does Binny's. Their policy quoted from the site: It is Binny's policy not to ship alcohol to certain states where direct shipment is prohibited and therefore, our website will not let you place an order for shipment to Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Massachusetts and other states. Please contact your local alcoholic beverage control agency for further information.

If you're referring to my post, I served the TSC in the pan, which is a cookie sheet with sides aka a jelly roll pan, probably the same as yours. It's the Southern Lady cake, made in a bundt pan, that wants to stick. Sorry if it wasn't clear.

Glad yours turned out great! BTW. When you get a chance, could you point me toward a link or post your Southern Lady Cake recipe? That sounds good. ← I used this recipe: Southern Lady Cake. I've made it twice now. It seems to want to stick to the pan even though I sprayed and floured it. The first time, I stuck it back together. The second time, it took a lot of poking around, but it came out fairly cleanly. edited to clarify link

I make birthday cakes for work once a month. This month, inspired by this thread, I made the Texas Sheet Cake and a Southern Lady Cake (the one with mandarin oranges beat into it). They both disappeared. The TSC was very good. I agree with both the people who say it is like brownies and those who say it is light. It has the flavor of a brownie, but is not dense. I wish I had sifted the powdered sugar for the frosting, because some of the lumps did not beat out. So I toasted some pecans and threw them on top. Problem solved! I was afraid it was too thin, but it looked like the picture above, so I guess it was ok.

Fried chicken here, too, with haricots verts in buttermilk dressing and chocolate birthday cake from Small Batch Baking. You bake two mini-cakes in tin cans, cut in half, fill and frost. Just enough for two. Theoretically, we would eat less because I'm not making a full size cake. Unfortunately, they go together so quickly, I've made dessert three times this week!

Wendy, I ate apple cranberry pie for breakfast and dreamt of being a pastry chef.

I found an article about a multi-pronged approach that the high school my distrcit feeds into is using to address obesity in students. Many of them are also economically disadvantaged as well. Here is the paragraph that pertains to the cooking classes: Cooking with Heart and Soul (CWHS) followed closely on the heels of the Junk Free Zone and is currently one of the most popular components of The Nutrition Revolution. It gives students and their families an opportunity to meet once a week for six-weeks and learn how to prepare healthy, easy-to-make, delicious meals. Each week a different guest chef (faculty and staff members from the school, community members, or SBHC staff) teaches the 22-25 participants how to prepare and cook a nutritious dinner. Everyone partakes in the chopping, mixing and cooking. The families then have the opportunity, which their busy lives usually prevent, to sit with their families and enjoy the meal together. The participants then take part in a twenty-minute nutrition presentation given by the SBHC Health Education Coordinator or by Loyola University Chicago dietetic interns, on topics such as reading food labels, fats and sugars, serving sizes, exercise and the food guide pyramid. Lastly, the families are given an opportunity to participate in a discussion regarding stress management, and they learn how eating habits and stress are linked. Each week the SBHC Clinical Psychologist addresses a different aspect of stress and diet and its impact on mental and physical health. This vital portion of Cooking with Heart and Soul allows the participants to learn how their mental health and how they manage the stress of their daily lives can directly impact their weight, what they eat and how they feel. The evening concludes with door prize drawings donated by local community businesses. This is only one part. The rest of the article is here.

Just the dirty dishes I shove in there when people are dropping by. Also happy to report I haven't done anything stupid in the kitchen lately. I'm sure it'll happen any day now.

This sounds like a fantastic idea gone terribly wrong. Might be worth it to try something similar without the soggy mess though. ← We used to make these. They were great left over. Drain the sauerkraut well, just a touch of dressing. We used a basic bread dough cut into squares then twisted together on top.

I'd like to know how you like the corner sink once you get to use it. I have been thinking about doing that in our kitchen. So far, I've just done lots and lots of what-ifs because I want waaaay more than will fit in my smallish kitchen. I'm not sure I'd like a corner sink, and it would be situated similarly to yours. Of course, anyone else with a corner sink, feel free to toss your 2 cents in.

Baklava from my friend's Greek church's Easter fundraiser

I don't know where you are, but you might try Plant Delights. I didn't see it listed, but they may be able to help you, or redirect you. Interesting people with some rare stuff.

Good luck Marmish -- just remember, as you can see, once you start -- there is no going back ← Thanks. My biggest problem is how much of the original architecture to keep. Once that is negotiated, the rest should be easier. There is a pointed arch into the breakfast area and an interesting cut out over the sink/window. I'm tempted to remove the wall with the arch and the entire soffit, but The Mister is vetoing. He's much more flexible about the rest of it.

Just wanted to add my thanks for posting your experiences. I, too, am on the verge of renovating and really appreciate the shared experiences of those who post renovation threads on eGullet, as well as all the surrounding discussion and suggestions.

Andie, when are you going to blog for us? You have so much experience and knowledge - and cookbooks - to share.

I just bought those same thank you cards at Target the other day! I really am enjoying seeing how you plan menus and organize your days.

Repeat after me: It's ok to spend money. It's ok to spend money. It's ok to spend money. Seriously, I know how you feel. I hate spending the boss's money without thinking I got the absolute best price. I find your blog really interesting. Thanks for sharing your week.

Ikea Kitchen Planning Software

We have the OXO. I think it is well balanced. We've had it a couple of years and use it twice a day. It's still in good shape, though it could use a good scrubbing, but that's another issue I suppose.

Thanks for sharing your experience. There are always plenty of people asking about remodeling who will find this very useful. Any other tips?